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Women's unequal political representation remains a problem all over the world, including in Albania. Women constitute approximately 50 percent of the 2.88 million people in Albania but, only 28 percent of Albanian parliamentary seats are held by women.
“Barriers to women's participation in... Read More

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Morgan Martinez

Recent Posts

Jordan’s Prime Minister, Hani al-Mulki, stepped down from his post on June 4 in a move intended to diffuse anger at economic policies that led to the most massive protests in years.
Spearheaded by the syndicates, a cross-section of Jordanians representing a multi-generational mix of middle and... Read More

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Patricia Karam

After five days of physical and mental battling, Ali Sawalmeh became the first Jordanian with a disability to reach the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. The altitude and varying ecosystems, ranging from desert, to jungle, to snow, provide large challenges for the 30,000 people who tackle the climb each... Read More

Posted by

Omar Al-Rayyes

Program Assistant, Jordan

Sinclair Stafford

In a functioning democracy, all citizens should have meaningful opportunities to make their voices heard and play a role in decision-making processes. A ubiquitous challenge that countries face to this is ensuring that marginalized populations are actively involved in the development process.
For... Read More

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Marian Hale

As we mark and celebrate International Youth Day, young Jordanians are increasingly stepping into the spotlight of the country’s democratic landscape.
The increased engagement in the political discourse is a welcomed development considering 70 percent of the kingdom’s population is under the age... Read More

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Ramsey Day

A talented young woman from the Orjan district of Al-Oyoun, Jordan, Nihad Bani Sa’eed, is an impressive new graduate of IRI’s Empower program. (Lean more about our Empower program here)
“I gained a lot of life skills that... Read More

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Raghad Dahdah

Balancing the governance equation
IRI’s Citizen Academy program is modeled after longstanding, successful municipal outreach programs in Alexandra, VA and Scottsdale, AZ. The program started in Jordan near the end of 2015. Citizen Academies provide city residents with the knowledge and networks... Read More

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Andy Yates

While the results of Jordan’s September 20, 2016 parliamentary elections are unlikely to have a major impact throughout the greater Middle East, the outcome could impact Jordan’s political future in significant ways by virtue of an increased presence of women and Islamists in parliament and the... Read More

Posted by

Darren Cunningham

Senior Program Associate, Middle East and North Africa Division @dtcunningham

In early September, IRI brought Syrian refugees together with their new Jordanian hosts to build community and share common experiences as well as mutual challenges.
Mafraq is one of Jordan’s biggest counties making up the entire northeast arm of the country. It shares borders with Syria, Iraq,... Read More

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Luke Waggoner

As long-term election observers (LTOs) for IRI and NDI’s joint mission to monitor Jordan’s September 20 parliamentary elections, my partner Dina Sadek and I have covered a lot of miles in the past five weeks conducting ongoing field visits to five governorates and two Bedouin districts in the... Read More

Posted by

Danya Greenfield

While all eyes in the U.S. are focused on the presidential election in November, the Kingdom of Jordan is set to hold parliamentary elections on September 20, 2016.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II dissolved parliament shortly before the end of its four-year term in May, necessitating elections within... Read More

Posted by

Darren Cunningham

Senior Program Associate, Middle East and North Africa Division @dtcunningham